JP2014150041A - Connector, and communication harness - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a communication path between two communication apparatuses that perform two-way communication using differential signals, and is connected to both transmission and reception communication paths for one communication apparatus, and transmission / reception with respect to another communication apparatus is multiplexed. Provided are a connector and a communication harness that can be connected to a structured communication path.
A diagnostic connector 2 receives a signal transmitted from an external device 5 by a reception terminal unit 23, transmits a signal to the external device 5 by a transmission terminal unit 24, and transmits / receives a signal to / from the in-vehicle control device 4 by a transmission / reception terminal unit 21. In addition to receiving the signal transmitted from, the signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device 4. The signal relay unit 20 is interposed between the reception terminal unit 23 and the transmission terminal unit 24 and the transmission / reception terminal unit 21, and relays the signal received by the reception terminal unit 23 to the transmission / reception terminal unit 21. The signal received at 21 is relayed to the transmission terminal unit 24.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector and a communication harness arranged on a transmission path between two communication devices that perform bidirectional communication using differential signals.

  In an in-vehicle communication system mounted in an automobile or the like, wired communication based on a CAN (Controller Area Network) system configured by a pair of twisted pair wires is generally used. A plurality of in-vehicle control devices that control various in-vehicle devices are each connected to an in-vehicle communication system using a CAN system, and transmit / receive information to / from each other. Further, in an in-vehicle communication system, an external diagnostic device is connected to a diagnostic connector defined by standards such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 15031-3 and SAE (United States Automotive Engineering Association) J1962, etc. This state is diagnosed from the outside, and maintenance such as update of various data can be performed (for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in a local area network (hereinafter referred to as LAN) that interconnects information devices such as personal computer devices (hereinafter referred to as PC devices), wired communication based on the Ethernet (registered trademark) system is widely used. In addition, by providing two pairs of twisted pair wires for transmission and reception, a differential signal is transmitted and received, thereby realizing full duplex bidirectional communication. The communication connection by the Ethernet system is also taken into consideration in the above-mentioned standard relating to the diagnostic connector. That is, in the standard relating to the diagnostic connector, a specific pin arrangement for performing communication by the Ethernet system is defined. Based on this pin arrangement, for example, if the PC device and the external diagnostic device are connected to the diagnostic connector and the diagnostic connector and the vehicle-mounted control device are connected by a LAN cable such as category 5 or 6 used in the Ethernet scheme, A communication connection environment is easily constructed.

  However, as described above, in a vehicle communication system, since a pair of twisted pair wires is generally used, when this is replaced with a LAN cable (including two pairs of twisted pair wires), There is a concern that the weight increases as the number increases, and that electromagnetic waves radiated from the LAN cable during communication may interfere with vehicle control. In addition, in a vehicle communication system, research on a technique for performing full-duplex bidirectional communication with a pair of twisted-pair wires without using two pairs of twisted-pair wires such as a LAN cable has been actively conducted. For example, Patent Document 2 proposes a multiplex communication method in which two communication apparatuses connected by a pair of twisted pair wires transmit full-duplex bidirectional communication by transmitting differential signals using different frequencies. Yes.

JP 2007-284027 A JP 2008-193606 A

  However, in order to connect the PC device and the external diagnosis device to the vehicle-mounted control device by applying the multiplex communication method of Patent Document 2 to the PC device and the external diagnosis device connected from the outside to the vehicle communication system, The PC device and the external diagnostic device have to have a communication device using a multiplex communication method, and there is a problem that the communication function increases and becomes expensive. In addition, the PC device and the external diagnostic device are connected to the vehicle communication system by a pair of twisted pair wires by the above-described diagnostic connector, but the multiplex communication method of Patent Document 2 supports the Ethernet method using two pairs of twisted pair wires. Therefore, the above-mentioned standard concerning the diagnostic connector cannot be satisfied.

  In view of this, it is conceivable to provide a signal conversion device for converting an Ethernet communication signal using two pairs of twisted pair lines into a communication signal using a pair of twisted pair cables and a multiplex communication method between the vehicle communication system and the diagnostic connector. However, it is necessary to connect the signal conversion device and the diagnostic connector with two pairs of twisted pair wires, and radio waves radiated from the two pairs of twisted pair wires during communication may interfere with the control of the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to be arranged in a communication path between two communication devices that perform bidirectional communication using a differential signal. It is intended to provide a connector and a communication harness that can be connected to a transmission path and a transmission path that are connected to each other, and that can be connected to a communication path in which transmission and reception with respect to a communication device on the other side are multiplexed.

  A connector according to the present invention is a connector arranged in a communication path between two communication devices that perform bidirectional communication using a differential signal, and a receiving terminal unit that receives a signal transmitted from one communication device; A transmission terminal unit that transmits a signal to a communication device on one side, a transmission / reception terminal unit that receives a signal transmitted from the communication device on the other side, and transmits a signal to the communication device on the other side, and the reception terminal unit And between the transmission terminal unit and the transmission / reception terminal unit, relay the signal received at the reception terminal unit to the transmission / reception terminal unit, and transmit the signal received at the transmission / reception terminal unit to the transmission terminal unit And a signal relay unit for relaying.

  In the present invention, the signal transmitted from the communication device on one side is received by the reception terminal unit, the signal is transmitted to the communication device on one side by the transmission terminal unit, and the communication on the other side is performed by the transmission / reception terminal unit. A signal transmitted from the apparatus is received and a signal is transmitted to the communication apparatus on the other side. The signal relay unit is interposed between the reception terminal unit, the transmission terminal unit, and the transmission / reception terminal unit, relays the signal received by the reception terminal unit to the transmission / reception terminal unit, and transmits the signal received by the transmission / reception terminal unit Relay to the terminal. As a result, the connector is connected to the transmission and reception communication paths for the one-side communication device at the reception terminal section and the transmission terminal section, and the transmission / reception terminal section is connected to the communication path for multiplexed transmission and reception for the other-side communication apparatus Can be connected.

  The connector which concerns on this invention is equipped with the casing which accommodates the said signal relay part, This casing is characterized by electromagnetically shielding the said signal relay part.

  In the present invention, since the casing that accommodates the signal relay portion shields the signal relay portion electromagnetically, radiation of electromagnetic waves to the outside can be suppressed.

  The connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the casing is formed of a resin material containing carbon.

  In the present invention, radiation of electromagnetic waves from the signal relay portion to the outside can be suppressed by the carbon contained in the resin material forming the casing.

  The connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the casing has a housing chamber for housing the signal relay portion, and a conductive film is applied to an inner wall surface of the housing chamber.

  In the present invention, the casing has a storage chamber for storing the signal relay portion, and the conductive film is applied to the inner wall surface of the storage chamber. Therefore, the conductive film radiates electromagnetic waves from the signal relay portion to the outside. Can be suppressed.

  The connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the casing is formed of a resin material containing a magnetic material.

  In the present invention, radiation of electromagnetic waves from the signal relay portion to the outside can be suppressed by the magnetic body contained in the resin material forming the casing.

  In the connector according to the present invention, the signal relay unit determines whether or not a signal value of a signal transmitted to the other communication device is different from a signal value of a signal received from the other communication device. And demodulating means for demodulating a signal received from the other-side communication apparatus based on a determination result by the determination means and a signal transmitted to the other-side communication apparatus.

  In the present invention, the signal relay unit determines whether the signal value of the signal transmitted to the communication device on the other side is different from the signal value of the signal received from the communication device on the other side by the determination unit. Based on the determination result by the determination unit and the signal transmitted to the communication device on the other side, the signal received from the communication device on the other side is demodulated by the demodulation unit. Thereby, the signal received from the communication device on the other side can be demodulated, and transmission / reception with respect to the communication device on the other side is multiplexed.

  The connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the signal relay unit frequency-converts the signal received by the reception terminal unit and relays the signal to the transmission / reception terminal unit.

  In the present invention, transmission / reception with respect to the communication device on the other side can be multiplexed by frequency-converting the signal received by the reception terminal unit and relaying it to the transmission / reception terminal unit.

  The connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the signal relay unit frequency-converts a signal received by the transmission / reception terminal unit and relays the signal to the transmission terminal unit.

  In the present invention, the signal received at the transmission / reception terminal unit is frequency-converted and relayed to the transmission terminal unit, whereby transmission / reception with respect to the communication device on the other side can be multiplexed.

  In the connector according to the present invention, the reception terminal unit, the transmission terminal unit, and the transmission / reception terminal unit each have two terminals connected to the outside, and the signal relay unit includes each of the reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit. It is a connection circuit that connects one terminal to one terminal of the transmission / reception terminal section and connects the other terminal of each of the reception terminal section and the transmission terminal section to the other terminal of the transmission / reception terminal section. .

  In the present invention, the receiving terminal section, the transmitting terminal section, and the transmitting / receiving terminal section each have two terminals connected to the outside, and the signal relay section is a connection circuit that connects these terminal sections. The connection circuit connects one terminal of each of the reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit to one terminal of the transmission / reception terminal unit, and the other terminal of each of the reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit to the other terminal of the transmission / reception terminal unit. Since they are connected, half-duplex bidirectional communication is possible between the communication device on one side and the communication device on the other side.

  A communication harness according to the present invention includes any one of the connectors described above and a pair of twisted pair wires connected to a transmission / reception terminal portion of the connector.

  In the present invention, the communication harness can be configured by connecting a pair of twisted pair wires to the transmission / reception terminal portion of any one of the connectors described above.

  According to the present invention, a signal transmitted from a communication device on one side is received by the reception terminal unit, a signal is transmitted to the communication device on one side by the transmission terminal unit, and a communication device on the other side is transmitted by the transmission / reception terminal unit. In addition to receiving a signal transmitted from, a signal is transmitted to the communication device on the other side. The signal relay unit is interposed between the reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit and the transmission / reception terminal unit, relays the signal received at the reception terminal to the transmission / reception terminal unit, and transmits the signal received at the transmission / reception terminal unit to the transmission terminal Relay to department. For this reason, the connector is connected to the transmission and reception communication paths for the communication device on one side at the transmission terminal section and the reception terminal section, and the communication path is multiplexed with transmission and reception for the communication apparatus on the other side at the transmission and reception terminal section. Can be connected.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the external appearance of the vehicle interior in which the diagnostic connector which concerns on this Embodiment is arrange | positioned. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the diagnostic connector which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a vertical side view of the diagnostic connector which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing composition of a diagnostic connector etc. concerning this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a signal relay part. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the adder in a signal relay part. It is a time chart which shows transition of the signal in a signal relay part. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the signal relay part which concerns on a modification.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the exterior of a vehicle compartment in which a diagnosis connector 2 according to the present embodiment is arranged, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the diagnosis connector 2 according to the present embodiment. A plurality of in-vehicle control devices that control various in-vehicle devices mounted on the vehicle are connected to an in-vehicle communication system based on the CAN method and transmit / receive information to / from each other. The diagnostic connector 2 is connected to one vehicle-mounted control device 4 that communicates with the outside of the vehicle via a cable 6. The diagnostic connector 2 is connected to an external diagnostic device dedicated to a vehicle manufactured by, for example, a vehicle manufacturer via a cable 6. The external diagnosis device acquires information related to the vehicle from the in-vehicle control device 4 on the in-vehicle communication system, diagnoses whether an abnormality or the like has occurred, and further updates the control program data of the in-vehicle control device. In addition to the external diagnostic device dedicated to the vehicle, a user who has access authority to the in-vehicle communication system can connect a PC device or the like to the diagnostic connector 2 in order to collect vehicle data. The diagnostic connector 2 is disposed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior where an external diagnostic device, a PC device, etc. (hereinafter referred to as an external device 5) can be easily connected. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the diagnostic connector 2 is disposed beside the handle 9 at the lower part of the instrument panel (abbreviated as instrument panel) in the driver's seat. The diagnostic connector 2 functions as a connector in the present invention. The external device 5 corresponds to the one-side communication device in the present invention, and the in-vehicle control device 4 corresponds to the other-side communication device in the present invention.

  The diagnostic connector 2 is configured by attaching a housing 26 from the front side and a rear cap 27 from the rear side to a cylindrical case body 25 having a substantially rectangular cross section. The case body 25, the housing 26, and the rear cap 27 are, for example, resin molded products. A connector 61 provided at the end of the cable 6 connected to the external device 5 is fitted into the housing 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the diagnostic connector 2 has a connection interface of a total of 16 pins of 8 pins × 2 rows in the housing 26, and conforms to the pin arrangement prescribed by standards such as ISO15031-3 and SAEJ1962. It shall conform to the standard. By inserting the cable 3 into the diagnosis connector 2 from the back side, the communication harness 1 including the diagnosis connector 2 and the cable 3 is configured. The cable 3 has a pair of twisted pair wires and a power supply line (not shown), and the cable 6 has two pairs of twisted pair wires.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view of the diagnostic connector 2 according to the present embodiment. The diagnostic connector 2 includes a reception terminal unit 23, a transmission terminal unit 24, a transmission / reception terminal unit 21, a signal relay unit 20, and the like. The reception terminal unit 23 has two socket terminals 23a. The socket terminal 23 a is incorporated in the terminal accommodating chamber 26 a in the housing 26. The receiving terminal portion 23 is connected to two pin terminals arranged in the connector 61 at the end of the cable 6. Specifically, one of the two socket terminals 23 a is connected to one of the signal lines constituting a pair of twisted pair wires (in the cable 6) provided for transmitting a differential signal to the external device 5. The other of 23a is electrically connected to the other of the signal lines which comprise this twisted pair line.

  Similarly, the transmission terminal unit 24 has two socket terminals 24a. The socket terminal 24 a is incorporated in a terminal accommodating chamber 26 a in the housing 26. The transmission terminal portion 24 is connected to two pin terminals arranged in the connector 61 at the end of the cable 6. Specifically, one of the two socket terminals 24a is connected to one of the signal lines constituting a pair of twisted pair wires (in the cable 6) provided for receiving a differential signal transmitted by the external device 5. The other end of the socket terminal 24a is electrically connected to the other of the signal lines that constitute the twisted pair line.

  The socket terminals 23a and 24a are prevented from coming off by engaging with protrusions provided in the terminal accommodating chamber 26a. Each of the L-shaped rod-shaped connection fittings 23b and 24b has one end crimped to the end of the socket terminals 23a and 24a, and the other end is inserted into a through hole provided in the circuit board 22 to provide a circuit. Soldered to the printed wiring on the substrate 22.

  The transmission / reception terminal portion 21 includes two L-shaped pin-shaped pin terminals 21a, a C-shaped housing 21b, and the like. One end side of the two pin terminals 21 a is inserted into a through hole provided in the housing 21 b, a tip end portion of the two pin terminals 21 a faces the outside from the opening of the housing 21 b, and the other end side is inserted into a through hole provided in the circuit board 22. Soldered to the printed wiring on the circuit board 22. The transmission / reception terminal portion 21 is connected to two socket terminals 31a arranged in the connector 31 at the end of the cable 3. Specifically, one of the two pin terminals 21a is electrically connected to one of the signal lines constituting the twisted pair line in the cable 3, and the other of the pin terminals 21a is electrically connected to the other of the signal lines constituting the twisted pair line. Connected.

  The assembly procedure of the diagnostic connector 2 will be described. First, electronic circuits such as the signal relay unit 20 and the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 are mounted on the circuit board 22, the connection fittings 23 b and 24 b are caulked to the socket terminals 23 and 24, and the connection fittings 23 b and 24 b are attached to the circuit board 22. Solder. Next, the housing 26 is attached by extrapolating from the side of the circuit board 22 so that the socket terminals 23 and 24 are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 26 a of the housing 26. The housing 26 may have a groove in which one end of the circuit board 22 is fitted to fix the circuit board 22. It should be noted that the soldering of the connection fittings 23b and 24b to the circuit board 22 may be performed after the housing 26 is externally attached from the side of the circuit board 22.

  Next, the housing 26 is gripped, and the circuit board 22 is inserted from the transmission / reception terminal portion 21 through the opening on the front side of the case main body 25 until the claw 26c of the housing 26 engages with the locking portion 25a of the case main body 25. Push into case body 25. In a state where the claw 26c is engaged with the locking portion 25a, the flange 26b comes into contact with the front end face of the case body 25, and the position of the circuit board 22 in the front direction is determined. Moreover, the position of the circuit board 22 in the out-of-plane direction is also fixed by fitting the inner wall surface on the front side of the case body 25 and the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the housing 26. The claw 26c may be provided at several places corresponding to the periphery of the flange 26b.

  Next, attaching the rear cap 27 from the back side of the case body 25 completes the assembly of the diagnostic connector 2. The rear cap 27 has a recess for holding the housing 21b of the transmission / reception terminal portion 21 and the circuit board 22 in the thickness direction of the circuit board 22 so that the position of the rear side end of the circuit board 22 in the out-of-plane direction is fixed. Is done. Furthermore, the communication harness 1 is assembled by inserting and attaching the connector 31 of the cable 3 to the transmission / reception terminal portion 21 from the back side of the diagnostic connector 2.

  A communication signal transmitted / received between the in-vehicle control device 4 and the external device 5 via the diagnostic connector 2 is several Mbps to several hundred Mbps on an electronic circuit such as the signal relay unit 20 disposed on the circuit board 22. Transmitted at speed. The case body 25, the housing 26, and the rear cap 27 constitute a casing that accommodates the signal relay unit 20. The internal space of the casing is a storage chamber for storing the circuit board 22, and a metal plating film made of nickel, nickel / ferrite, copper, or the like is applied to the inner wall surface of the storage chamber facing the circuit board 22. This reduces the radiation of electromagnetic waves generated in the electronic circuit to the outside. The metal plating film may be a conductive film, and may be a metal vapor deposition film or a coating film of a conductive resin containing metal particles. The electromagnetic shielding effect can also be obtained by molding the case main body 25, the housing 26 and the rear cap 27 with a magnetic material such as ferrite powder or a resin material containing carbon powder.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a diagnostic connector and the like according to the present embodiment. The external device 5 includes a transmission terminal unit 53 and a reception terminal unit 54 connected to the cable 6 and a communication control unit 52 that controls communication based on the Ethernet system. As described above, the cable 6 has two pairs of twisted pair wires, with one twisted pair wire connected to the transmission terminal portion 53 and the other twisted pair wire connected to the receiving terminal portion 54. The external device 5 transmits a transmission signal differentially from the transmission terminal unit 53 and receives a transmission signal transmitted from the in-vehicle control device 4 by the reception terminal unit 54 differentially.

  The in-vehicle control device 4 includes a transmission / reception terminal unit 41 connected to the cable 3, a signal relay unit 40 that relays transmission / reception signals, and a communication control unit 42 that controls communication based on the Ethernet system. The in-vehicle control device 4 relays a signal transmitted and received by the communication control unit 42 that controls communication based on the Ethernet system, by the signal relay unit 40, so that the in-vehicle control device 4 is connected to the diagnosis connector 2 via a pair of twisted pair wires in the cable 3. Two-way communication between the two. The detailed configuration inside the signal relay unit 40 will be described later.

  The diagnostic connector 2 includes the reception terminal unit 23, the transmission terminal unit 24, the transmission / reception terminal unit 21, and the signal relay unit 20 as described above. The reception terminal unit 23 is connected to the transmission terminal unit 53 of the external device 5 by one of the two pairs of twisted pair wires in the cable 6, and receives a transmission signal transmitted from the external device 5 in a differential manner. The transmission terminal unit 24 is connected to the reception terminal unit 54 of the external device 5 by the other of the two pairs of twisted pair wires in the cable 6, and the transmission signal transmitted from the in-vehicle control device 4 is differentially transmitted to the external device 5. Send. The transmission / reception terminal unit 21 is connected to the cable 3. The diagnostic connector 2 implements bidirectional communication with the in-vehicle control device 4 via a pair of twisted pair wires in the cable 3 by relaying signals transmitted and received by the signal relay unit 20. Each transmission terminal unit, each reception terminal unit, and each transmission / reception terminal unit described above performs processing such as inverting the signal to generate a differential signal, and conversely inverting and adding the differential signal.

  5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the signal relay units 20 and 40, FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of the adders 20d and 40d in the signal relay units 20 and 40, and FIG. 7 is a signal relay unit. It is a time chart which shows transition of the signal in 20 and 40. The signal relay unit 20 includes an EX-OR circuit 20b, a converter 20c, an adder 20d, and a determination / demodulator 20e. Since the internal configuration of the signal relay unit 40 is the same as the internal configuration of the signal relay unit 20, the corresponding reference numerals are assigned and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  A data signal (hereinafter referred to as a transmission data signal) related to a transmission signal from the external device 5 received by the reception terminal unit 23 is input to the transmission data terminal TX2. The transmission data signal from the transmission data terminal TX2 is branched at the first node 20a. One of the branched signals is input to the converter 20c, and the other is input to one input terminal of the EX-OR circuit 20b. Has been. The determination / demodulator 20e is connected to the other input terminal of the EX-OR circuit 20b. The output of the EX-OR circuit 20b is connected to the reception data terminal RX2.

  The converter 20c is a circuit that converts a digital data signal having a signal value of 0V or 1V into a pulse signal having positive and negative amplitudes. Specifically, the converter 20c converts the signal value 0V into 1V and 1V into -1V. The same applies to the converter 40c in the signal relay unit 40. As shown in FIG. 7, the converter 20c converts the transmission data signal (0V or 1V signal) input to the transmission data terminal TX2 into a pulse signal BP2 having an amplitude from minus 1V to plus 1V. The converter 40c converts the transmission data signal (0V or 1V signal) input to the transmission data terminal TX4 into a pulse signal BP4 having an amplitude of minus 1V to plus 1V. Note that the horizontal axis of FIG. 7 indicates the passage of time, and the broken line indicates a break of 1-bit time.

  The adder 20d is a circuit that adds the pulse signal BP2 from the converter 20c to the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 using a ground resistance. As shown in FIG. 6, both the adder 20d and the adder 40d are configured using two resistors. The pulse signal BP2 is input to the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 via the series resistor R11. Note that the other end of the resistor R13 having one end grounded is connected between the resistor R11 and the transmission / reception terminal portion 21. Further, the pulse signal BP4 is input to the transmission / reception terminal unit 41 via the cable 3 via the series resistor R10. The other end of the resistor R12 having one end grounded is connected between the resistor R10 and the transmission / reception terminal portion 41. Thereby, the addition signal SUM of the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 and the pulse signal BP4 from the vehicle control device 4 is conveyed to the cable 3.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the adders 20d and 40d obtain a signal SUM obtained by adding the pulse signal BP2 and the pulse signal BP4. For example, in the 1-bit time from the time t1 corresponding to the first bit in FIG. 7, both the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 and the pulse signal BP4 from the in-vehicle control device 4 have a positive amplitude of +1 V, and the addition signal SUM The amplitude is also + 1V. On the other hand, in the 1-bit time from t2 corresponding to the second bit, both the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 and the pulse signal BP4 from the in-vehicle control device 4 have a negative amplitude of −1V, and the amplitude of the addition signal SUM Is also -1V. In the 1-bit time from the time t4 corresponding to the fourth bit, the amplitude of the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 is positive + 1V, and the amplitude of the pulse signal BP4 from the in-vehicle control device 4 is negative -1V. The amplitude of the signal SUM is zeroed out by addition. As described above, the addition signal SUM sent out on the cable 3 has a positive or negative amplitude when the amplitude of the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 is the same as the amplitude of the pulse signal BP4 from the in-vehicle control device 4. If the voltage is different, the amplitude is zero. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not the amplitude of the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 and the amplitude of the pulse signal BP4 from the in-vehicle control device 4 are the same by the amplitude for each bit of the addition signal SUM. is there.

  The determination / demodulator 20e is connected to the transmission / reception terminal unit 21, and is a circuit that determines whether the amplitude of the addition signal SUM is positive or negative and outputs a determination result. Note that the determination / demodulator 20e determines whether the amplitude (signal level) of the addition signal SUM is greater than or equal to a predetermined positive threshold value or less than a predetermined negative threshold value. The determination / demodulator 20e determines that the amplitude is zero when the amplitude is less than the positive threshold and exceeds the negative threshold. The output signal CD2 of the determination / demodulator 20e shown in FIG. 7 is a true value “1” when the amplitude of the addition signal (SUM) input to the determination / demodulator 20e is zero, and the amplitude is positive or negative 1V. In some cases, “0” is indicated. That is, the determination / demodulator 20e is “1” for each bit when the transmission data signal from the diagnosis connector 2 and the reception data signal from the in-vehicle control device 4 are different, and “0” when they are the same. It can be said that a signal (determination result) is output. When the amplitude of the pulse signal BP2 from the diagnosis connector 2 and the amplitude of the pulse signal BP4 from the in-vehicle control device 4 are the same, the addition signal SUM in the cable 3 has a positive or negative 1V, and the amplitude is different when the amplitude is different. This is because it becomes zero.

  The EX-OR circuit 20b is a circuit that outputs an exclusive OR signal of two input signals. The input of the EX-OR circuit 20b is connected to the first node 20a branched from the transmission data terminal TX2 and the determination / demodulator 20e. Therefore, the EX-OR circuit 20b takes an exclusive OR of the transmission data signal and the data signal received by the determination / demodulator 20e. That is, the EX-OR circuit 20b outputs an exclusive OR signal of the transmission data signal and a signal indicating whether or not the transmission data signal and the reception data signal in the cable 3 are the same. When the transmission data signal is the same as the reception data signal, “0” is output from the determination / demodulator 20e. Therefore, when the transmission data signal is “1”, “1” is output from the EX-OR circuit 20b. When the transmission data signal is “0”, “0” is output. When the transmission data signal is different from the reception data signal, “1” is output from the determination / demodulator 20e. Therefore, the EX-OR circuit 20b inverts “0” when the transmission data signal is “1”. "Is inverted when the transmission data signal is" 0 ".

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the period of 3 bits from time t1 to time t4, the determination / demodulators 20e and 40e have the same transmission data signal and reception data signal in the cable 3 (“0”). Is output. Therefore, the EX-OR circuit 20b outputs the same data signal as the transmission data signal to the reception data terminal RX2, and the EX-OR circuit 40b also outputs the same signal as the transmission data signal to the reception data terminal RX4. As a result, the transmission data signal from the in-vehicle control device 4 can be demodulated at the reception data terminal RX2 of the diagnosis connector 2. Similarly, the transmission data signal from the diagnosis connector 2 can be demodulated at the reception data terminal RX4 of the in-vehicle control device 4.

  In one bit time from time t4, the determination / demodulators 20e and 40e output that the transmission data signal and the reception data signal in the cable 3 are not the same ("1"). Therefore, the EX-OR circuit 20b outputs “1” obtained by inverting the transmission data signal “0” to the reception data terminal RX2, and the EX-OR circuit 40b outputs “0” obtained by inverting the transmission data signal “1”. Is output to the reception data terminal RX4. As a result, “1” is output to the reception data terminal RX2 of the diagnostic connector 2, and the transmission data signal “1” from the in-vehicle control device 4 can be demodulated. Similarly, “0” is output to the reception data terminal RX4 of the in-vehicle control device 4, and the transmission data signal “0” from the diagnosis connector 2 can be demodulated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the diagnostic connector 2 receives the signal transmitted from the external device 5 by the reception terminal unit 23, transmits the signal to the external device 5 by the transmission terminal unit 24, and transmits / receives the transmission / reception terminal unit. 21, the signal transmitted from the in-vehicle control device 4 is received and the signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device 4. The signal relay unit 20 is interposed between the reception terminal unit 23 and the transmission terminal unit 24 and the transmission / reception terminal unit 21, and relays the signal received by the reception terminal unit 23 to the transmission / reception terminal unit 21. The signal received at 21 is relayed to the transmission terminal unit 24. As a result, the diagnostic connector 2 is connected to the transmission and reception communication paths (two twisted pair wires in the cable 6) to the external device 5 through the reception terminal unit 23 and the transmission terminal unit 24, and is controlled in-vehicle by the transmission / reception terminal unit 21. It is possible to connect to a communication path (one twisted pair line in the cable 6) in which transmission / reception with respect to the apparatus 4 is multiplexed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the casing that accommodates the signal relay unit 20 includes the case body 25, the housing 26, and the rear cap 27, and the signal relay unit 20 is electromagnetically shielded by the casing. Thus, radiation of electromagnetic waves to the outside can be suppressed. Further, the internal space of the casing is a storage chamber for storing the signal relay unit 20, and radiation of electromagnetic waves to the outside can be suppressed by applying a conductive film to the inner wall surface of the storage chamber. The electromagnetic shielding effect can also be obtained by molding the case main body 25, the housing 26 and the rear cap 27 with a magnetic material such as ferrite powder or a resin material containing carbon powder.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the signal relay unit 20 determines whether the signal value of the signal transmitted to the in-vehicle control device 4 is different from the signal value of the signal received from the in-vehicle control device 4 by the determination / demodulator. The signal received from the in-vehicle control device 4 is demodulated based on the determination result and the signal transmitted to the in-vehicle control device 4. Thereby, the signal received from the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 4 can be demodulated, and transmission / reception with respect to the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 4 is multiplexed.

(Modification)
Communication between the diagnostic connector 2 and the in-vehicle control device 4 is performed by multiplexing on a pair of twisted pair wires of the cable 3, but the frequency of the signal transmitted from the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 and the transmission / reception terminal unit 41 are transmitted. It is good also as a structure multiplexed by making the frequency of a signal into a different frequency. For this purpose, the signal relay unit 20 of the diagnostic connector 2 converts the frequency of the transmission signal received from the external device 5 received by the reception terminal unit 23 and relays it to the transmission / reception terminal unit 21. The signal relay unit 40 of the in-vehicle control device 4 reversely converts the frequency of the signal received by the transmission / reception terminal unit 41 and returns it to the signal frequency when the external device 5 transmits.

  Moreover, the signal relay part 40 of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 4 converts the frequency of the transmission signal input from the communication control part 42, and transmits from the transmission / reception terminal part 41, and the signal relay part 20 of the diagnosis connector 2 is the transmission / reception terminal part. The frequency of the signal received at 21 may be inversely converted to return to the signal frequency of the transmission signal originally output by the communication control unit 42 of the in-vehicle control device 4. It is described in Patent Document 2 that the frequency of the signal transmitted from the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 and the frequency of the signal transmitted from the transmission / reception terminal unit 41 can be multiplexed and transmitted / received by multiplexing on one twisted pair line. Therefore, the explanation is omitted for the sake of brevity.

  In the above-described embodiment, bidirectional communication with full duplex is possible, but the signal relay unit 20 of the diagnostic connector 2 can be configured so that bidirectional communication with half duplex is possible. FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of the signal relay unit 20 according to the modification. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the signal relay unit 20 is configured as a connection circuit that connects two terminals included in the reception terminal unit 23, the transmission terminal unit 24, and the transmission / reception terminal unit 21. The signal relay unit 20 connects one terminal of each of the reception terminal unit 23 and the transmission terminal unit 24 to one terminal of the transmission / reception terminal unit 21, and connects the other terminal of each of the reception terminal unit 23 and the transmission terminal unit 24 to the transmission / reception terminal. The unit 21 is configured to be connected to other terminals.

  In this modification, it is assumed that the transmission signal cannot be transmitted from the in-vehicle control device 4 while the transmission signal is transmitted from the external device 5. Further, it is assumed that the transmission signal cannot be transmitted from the external device 5 while the transmission signal is transmitted from the in-vehicle control device 4. A transmission signal transmitted from the external device 5 is received by the reception terminal unit 23 of the diagnosis connector 2, transmitted from the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 through the signal relay unit 20, and received by the in-vehicle control device 4. Conversely, the transmission signal transmitted from the in-vehicle control device 4 is received by the transmission / reception terminal unit 21 of the diagnostic connector 2, transmitted through the signal relay unit 20 to both the transmission terminal unit 24 and the reception terminal unit 23, and transmitted. . After transmitting the transmission signal first, the external device 5 turns off the transmission side and receives and monitors the signal on the reception side corresponding to the transmission terminal unit 24. Thereby, the bidirectional communication by the half duplex of the form which the vehicle-mounted control apparatus 4 transmits a transmission signal corresponding to the transmission signal from the external apparatus 5 is attained. Similarly, half-duplex bidirectional communication is also possible in the form in which the external device 5 transmits a transmission signal in response to a transmission signal from the in-vehicle control device 4.

  Moreover, the communication harness 1 can be comprised by connecting the cable 3 (a pair of twisted pair wire is included) to the transmission / reception terminal part 21 of any one connector in the above-mentioned embodiment and modification. .

  The disclosed embodiments should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

1 Communication harness 2 Diagnostic connector (connector)
20 signal relay unit 20e decision / demodulator (determination means, demodulation means)
21 Transmission / reception terminal part 23 Reception terminal part 24 Transmission terminal part 25 Case body (casing)
26 Housing (casing)
27 Rear cap (casing)
3 Cable (twisted pair wire)
4 In-vehicle control device (communication device on the other side)
5 External device (one-side communication device)

Claims (10)

In a connector arranged in a communication path between two communication devices that perform bidirectional communication using a differential signal,
A receiving terminal unit for receiving a signal transmitted from a communication device on one side;
A transmission terminal unit for transmitting a signal to the one-side communication device;
While receiving a signal transmitted from the communication device on the other side, a transmission / reception terminal unit for transmitting a signal to the communication device on the other side;
The reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit are interposed between the transmission / reception terminal unit, relay the signal received by the reception terminal unit to the transmission / reception terminal unit, and the signal received by the transmission / reception terminal unit A connector comprising: a signal relay unit that relays to the transmission terminal unit. A casing for accommodating the signal relay unit;
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the casing electromagnetically shields the signal relay portion.   The connector according to claim 2, wherein the casing is formed of a resin material containing carbon. The casing has a storage chamber for storing the signal relay portion,
The connector according to claim 2, wherein a conductive film is provided on an inner wall surface of the storage chamber.   The connector according to claim 2, wherein the casing is formed of a resin material containing a magnetic material. The signal relay unit is
A determination means for determining whether a signal value of a signal transmitted to the communication device on the other side is different from a signal value of a signal received from the communication device on the other side; a determination result by the determination means; and the other side 6. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a demodulating unit that demodulates a signal received from the communication device on the other side based on a signal transmitted to the other communication device.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the signal relay unit frequency-converts the signal received by the reception terminal unit and relays the signal to the transmission / reception terminal unit.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the signal relay unit frequency-converts a signal received at the transmission / reception terminal unit and relays the signal to the transmission terminal unit. The receiving terminal unit, the transmitting terminal unit, and the transmitting / receiving terminal unit each have two terminals connected to the outside,
The signal relay unit connects one terminal of each of the reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit to one terminal of the transmission / reception terminal unit, and the other terminal of each of the reception terminal unit and the transmission terminal unit The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connector is a connection circuit connected to another terminal. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A communication harness, comprising: a pair of twisted pair wires connected to a transmission / reception terminal portion of the connector.

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